DILG to frontload high-impact projects for 2009

2009/01/14

DILG to frontload high-impact projects for 2009

Manila (14 January) -- Secretary Ronaldo Puno of the Department of the Interior and Local Government has ordered the "frontloading" of the DILG's job-generating projects and other anti-poverty initiatives in the first quarter of 2009 as part of Malacanang's economic resiliency program geared to insulate Filipinos from the effects of the worldwide financial slowdown.

Acting on orders of President Arroyo, Puno directed DILG officials to identify which of the Department's high-impact "social protection" projects could be immediately implemented in the first few months of 2009 to help create and preserve jobs and empower local government units (LGUs) to efficiently deliver basic services to the people.

These projects, Puno said, include the DILG's Project OYSTER, which provides jobs and emergency economic assistance for marginalized workers and out-of-school youths (OSYs) through the barangays. OYSTER stands for "Out-of-School Youths Servicing Towards Economic Recovery."

"I have ordered DILG officials to pinpoint which of our projects that will have a direct impact on poor families can be implemented at once in the first few months of 2009 so that we can help create jobs and add to the national government efforts to pump prime the economy in the midst of the global economic slowdown," Puno said.

As the Cabinet secretary in-charge of generating pro-poor government projects in the provinces of Rizal and Quezon, Puno said the DILG has also lined up a series of initiatives to create jobs and provide microfinancing to poor families in these areas in the first quarter of 2009.

Among these projects is the "Dagdag Puhunan Para sa Kabuhayan ng Pamilya, which aims to provide additional funds to existing livelihood programs of LGUs in Rizal and Quezon, according to DILG Undersecretary for Local Government Austere Panadero.

Panadero, who is overseeing the implementation of the project, said some 2,000 poor families in 63 barangays in Quezon and 37 barangays in Rizal are expected to benefit from this program, which has an initial allocation of P5 million that will be sub-alloted to LGUs.

To provide jobs for OSYs, the DILG will also be implementing a road cleaning and drainage maintenance project in Rizal and Quezon similar to the "OYSTER" program.

This project, Panadero said, is expected to provide jobs for a period of six months to 13,780 OSYs in 37 barangays in Rizal and 171 barangays in Quezon.

Panadero said another DILG "value-added" project-the Localization of Millennium Development Goals (MDG) initiative-is also ready to carry out P107.83 million-worth of projects in the first quarter of 2009 to help generate jobs and provide "social protection" to poor families as soon as the LGU beneficiaries complete the submission of documents for the release of funds for their respective projects.

These projects include the construction of a daycare center, hospital, public market; the establishment of a water system; implementation of an integrated agricultural project and the procurement of heavy equipment in various LGUs across the country.

The DILG's Localization of MDG project aims to capacitate LGUs in effectively implementing programs in their respective localities that conform with the Millennium Development Goals of eradicating poverty.

The United Nations' Millennium Development Goals are the world's time-bound and quantified targets for addressing extreme poverty and worst forms of human deprivation in its many dimensions-income poverty, hunger, disease, lack of adequate shelter, and exclusion-while promoting gender equality, education, and environment sustainability. (PIA-MMIO)

Cabatuan.com - Kasimanwa.com - Austere Panadero